


Hiding in Plain Sight

by SPS-unfinished (sevpottersnape)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Incomplete, More like an outline than a story, a premise if you will, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 20:05:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17925440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevpottersnape/pseuds/SPS-unfinished
Summary: My thought for a story where Harry was much more affected by how the Dursley's treated him than the books made it seem like.





	Hiding in Plain Sight

Unlike the books when Harry arrives at Hogwarts his first year he is very different; years of abuse by the Dursley’s leaves him much more subdued and confused by other peoples reactions to him. He reacts in fear or suspicion of those who praise him. Ten years of constant neglect have taken their toll on his self worth.

 

When Hagrid appears to tell him he is a wizard he doesn’t believe him even as he shows Harry magic. When he takes him to Diagon Alley and Harry finds a wand for himself is when he finally lets himself believe he can do magic as well, but he fears it as it is a catalyst for pain from his family.

 

When led into his bank vault he doesn’t know what to think when he is told all the gold is his. As Hagrid pulls out enough for his school supplies Harry grabs many more coins for himself without the giant noticing. The Goblin just raises an eyebrow at the strangeness but says nothing as it is his money.

 

At the book store while Hagrid is finding all his school supplies Harry is scanning various shelves for books for himself. He finds several that he thinks will be useful. ‘Quick Clean Fun’, ‘Good Gardners Guide of Charms’, and ‘Practical Household Potions’. Are the top three he deems necessary, he also grabs; ‘A to Z of Basic Magic’, ‘History of Wizardry 1000 to Present’, ‘Hogwarts: A History’, and ‘Rules, Regulations and Rights’. The second set he grabs are huge tomes that he could barely carry one of at a time but when placed in a store bag as he paid they became feather-lite and shrank so he was able to hide the purchases from Hagrid slipping the bag into his pocket until he gets home.

 

Hagrid tells him the story of his parents death and his scar but he isn’t sure if he believes him seeing as his whole life Petunia and Vernon have told him otherwise.

 

He has a month at home in his new room before he has to begin Hogwarts so he starts reading his books,  ‘Rules’ first so he knows a bit what hes allowed to do in the wizard world. A section on childrens rights and abuse causes him to freeze before clutching his book tightly as he looks around wildly.

 

Harry has had to learn to read, comprehend and memorize books quickly failure to do so meant never finding out the end of the books he would try reading in school. So he finished his book on rules extremely quick. With the underage magic rules he decided his other set of books would have to wait til school to be of any use so he decided to read up on the school he would be going to.

 

It seemed an interesting place but he figured it must gloss over student chores, deciding that must be what the houses are for.

 

After that he decided to read ‘History of Wizards.’ Some of the stories fascinated him while others left him wondering how accurate the author was. As he read up on the witch trials he couldn’t help smiling a little. When he got to the Grindlewald section he couldn’t keep himself from comparing that time to what he knew of world war II.

 

He slowed down his reading as he began the section on “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” and his followers. As he read about his parents death and then “You-Know-Whos” ‘death’ he couldn’t stop from frowning it was strange they couldn’t even write his name down in a history book. There wasn’t much more after that section just some praise for the accomplishments of some man named Lockhart.

 

As he finished that book he decided to skip A-Z magic for now and start reading his school books. 2 weeks had gone by so far and he hoped the next 2 wouldn’t drag on like the first 2 had.

 

Looking at his stack of books he pulls out his Potions text its that one he thought sounded most interesting. He was enthralled with the history portion of the text even the practical theory and use portion interested him. The ingredients section had him grinning again.

 

By the end of 2 weeks he has finished all of his books including his a-z magic which left him itching to try some of the spells but he couldn’t. When the day arrived and his room was once again unbolted to allow him out he was nervous of facing his family. After all from what he read the things they did to him were wrong.

 

As he dragged his trunk from his room he was prepared for his cousin to come from no where to push him down the stairs. When his trunk came sliding after landing with a crunch on one of his hands Harry didn’t cry out he knew that just made it worse. He carefully stood pulled his hand free and limped with his trunk to the car.

 

Its silent in the car ride to the train station and when they get there Vernon barely stops the car enough for him to get out with his trunk. He finds an empty trolley and begins searching for the right platform. He remembers in his Hogwarts book that the one he needs is a secret entrance between 2 normal columns. Looking at his ticket 9 ¾ seemed a bit odd but he remembered the bricks in Diagon Alley. So he walked to he saw platform 9, a column, then 10; it takes a second for him to make sure no one is watching before going to that column and pushing. He grins as his had goes through.

 

Very shortly he is on the train in a small compartment away from everyone else. Drawing the curtains to his room he carefully changes into his school uniform. His hand and shoulder ache.

 

No one comes into his compartment during the trip. He spends it scanning his Practical Potions book. At one point about halfway to school his glass fall to the floor the tape that had been holding them together no longer very sticky. He decides to try one of the spells he learned. “Reparo.” The glasses mend themselves together again leaving them looking brand new.

 

After a while he zones out trying to compartmentalize his homelife and the life he will have at school. He figures he will have to play down his knowledge like he had had to do with Dudley in his old school something he had learned to do very well previously.

 

When they arrive at the school he is careful to keep his head down and to avoid the large man that had told him he was a wizard, figuring it best to stick to the shadows where hes always felt safest. Even as Hagrid was calling for the first years Harry kept to the shadows following the larger group of people. As they approached unmanned carriages he was a little unnerved but settled for riding in the most rickety looking one, no one joined him. As he rolled his way to the school he considered how to best downplay his magical abilities. Faking a lack of knowledge was easy for him, faking his power will be the challenge he will need to resolve.


End file.
